Groove's Faves: "One Must Die!" by Duffy and Gammill

Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Ya know, from time to time, we've rapped about Luke Cage, Power Man (aka Hero for Hire). We've gabbed quite a bit about Iron Fist. But we've yet to have a sit-down about Power Man and Iron Fist, that awesome merger of Cage and the K'un-Lun Kid that ran from Power Man issues 48-66 (September 1977-September 1980) and Power Man and Iron Fist issues 67-125 (November 1980-July 1986). Sadly forgotten, this was one of the absolute best series of the late 70s/early 80s, right up there (imho) with Miller's Daredevil, Byrne's Fantastic Four, J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck's Captain America, David Michelenie/John Romita, Jr./Bob Layton's Iron Man, and Roger Stern's (with Marshall Rogers and Paul Smith) Dr. Strange. My favorite era of PM/IF was issues 61-79, which was written by Mary Jo Duffy and Kerry Gammill. Mixing such disparate but compatible 70s icons/80s has-beens (blaxploitation and kung fu) was actually a stroke of genius, leading to a World's Finest-style mix of cosmic and street-level superheroics, complete with a fantastic crew of supporting characters (Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Sons of the Tiger, and D.W. Griffith) that added layers (and cool sub-plots) to Duffy's (usually) down-to-earth, humanistic, and often charming stories. Kerry Gammill's art was perfect for the series, combining the best of John Buscema, Gene Colan, and Don Newton in a totally unique style (and usually inked by Ricardo Villamonte) that could take us to the mean streets of New York to the fantasy world of K'un-Lun and back again in dynamic, action-packed, cleanly-told pencils. Yeah, PM/IF was a classy, top-notch mag that deserves to be remembered. Just take ish #62's (January 1980) "One Must Die!" for example. Duffy and Gammill tell a riveting, powerful story using an old Daredevil street gang and supporting characters (Thunderbolts and Billy and Lonnie Carver from Daredevil #69), Marvel's version of a major branch of organized crime (The Maggia), a third-rate Spider-Man villain (Man-Mountain Marko), and a "new" superhero (tribute to T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent Lightning?). Just check it out, baby!

Cover art by Kerry Gammill and Bob Layton

Black and White Wednesday: "Show Me the Way to Go Home..." by Layton, Duffy, Cockrum, and Villamonte

Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Whilst digging around in the Repository of Rarities, Ol' Groove lucked upon Bizarre Adventures #27 (May 1981) featuring "Secret Lives of the X-Men"! Now, I know that's a waaaaaaaay post-Groovy Age, but I'm pretty sure at least two of the three tales published in B.A. #27 (featuring Phoenix, Iceman, and Nightcrawler) were done in the late 70s for Marvel Spotlight and/or Marvel Premiere. Why thinkest Groove this? 'Cause I know fer sure the Iceman tale was scheduled for Marvel Spotlight--the Bob Layton penciled cover for it made the fanzine rounds in 79/80. Nightcrawler was rumored to be in the pipline for one of those Marvelous mags, as well. Add to that the fact that the stories ran 18 pages (while Marvel was running 22 pagers by this time)--yeah, yers trooly is pret-ty sure they were intended for Marvel's color line. (Not sure about the Phoenix tale...).

I said all'a that to say this: "Check out this freakin' cool Nightcrawler story co-plotted by Bob Layton and Jo Duffy, scripted by Duffy, and featuring art by Dave Cockrum and Ricardo Villamonte!" Not only is this story a hoot in both the story and art departments, but it ties up loose ends from the final ish of The Champions and sets up Nightcrawler's 1985 mini-series. It's easy to forget just how awesome Nightcrawler was back in the good ol' days...let "Show Me the Way to Go Home..." show ya just how much fun Kurt Wagner truly was...